{Ever wanted to be a celebrity}

I have. When I was younger I wanted to be an actress so bad.

Changing the subject real quick...I took our preschool group to a placed called Bios on the Hill. It's a fun random place. It has huge tree swings, a random spot for roosters, goats you can walk and feed, stilts, hoopla hoops, a cool wood playground that's very unique, a wagon ride with a water buffalo pulling, and lots of showcases of beautiful flowers.

First, we were the ONLY Americans there. Usually we see Americans wherever we go. Well, at least ONE, but not this time. As soon as we get out of the car we are being watched.mpeople stop and stare, and smile. So, that's the beginning. Once we get in there everybody stops what they are doing and watches us. I kept having people come ask if they can get in pictures with the kids and if they can take pictures of them. Sure, I say. I then find out that a lot of the people there are from Taiwan and its there first time to Okinawa. I found out because I asked. I asked because there language sounded different than nihongo. They are all from Taiwan and its apparent this is one of the first times they have seen Americans. We were being followed and watched the whole time. People were snapping pictures of us the whole time. I was so excited when we were finally able to get out of there and we weren't being stalked anymore. I can't imagine being a celebrity. Yikes. I mean, they were all nice, but we couldn't enjoy fully our time there because they couldn't stay away from us. That was quite an experience!

{Gavin and milk}

Gavin has gone almost two weeks without wetting the bed, thanks to a special alarm Shane bought for him. It's awesome. Next up, Tanner!

I am living a dairy free life now. I am 80% convinced that the stomach pains I get often have to do with dairy. Mt stomach has felt awesome since going off it two weeks ago. I have also been doing my best to feed my family meals that are all fresh, no processed foods. It seems like it can be hard to do that, but it really hasn't been. And I don't crave any of that junk anymore. America is killing itself with the way they eat and it's time to stop.

{Shane}

There are so many things i can say about Shane. I just hope this post will do him justice. :)

We are so lucky to have Shane. He is such a hard worker. He provides for us and keeps a roof over our heads. He makes it possible for us to eat well, and to do many fun things together as a family. He works hard at anything placed in his hands, especially when it comes to his family. He wants to be the best dentist, the best dad and the best husband. Because he expects near perfection from himself, if he doesn't do it exactly the way he thinks he should then he can get pretty down on himself. I think this is common among most people. The thing is, we can't reach perfection in this life, but when we are giving our best that is what matters. And he is always trying to give his best. I notice that and i love him for that. I love how much he fights for us, his family.

Shane is a wonderful DAD. His boys LOVE him so much and look up to him. They love when Shane wrestles with them, when he gets in his goofy moods, and when he plays sports with them. He is coaching Gavin's basketball team and Gavin LOVES it. He is so proud to have his dad coaching him. Shane loves basketball and is coaching for Gavin because he knows that Gavin should have that experience with him, that bonding experience. He pushes the boys to be better and encourages them to believe in themselves when they think they can't do it.

He is always the leader at dinner table. Every sunday when we sit down to eat, he asks everyone what they learned in class at church. During the week he asks them how their days were and always asks them if they were obedient boys to mommy that day. :) He keeps them in check. He always takes charge during our family prayers and is sure to give everyone a turn for our family prayers. He goes in order, starting from oldest to youngest.

He is so funny. He gets in lots of weird, dramatic and silly moods. Of course we all love it. When he gets excited you will know it. :) I don't want to go into too much detail. haha! He doesn't hide it emotions. When he is excited he is bursting at the seams. When he gets in funny moods it always gives us a good laugh. That's usually at the dinner table. :)


I really enjoy when Shane surprises me with cleaning the house. Like this last weekend. I went for a 10 mile run on saturday. I came back and the entire upstairs was cleaned. It was a disaster before that. He got the boys to clean their rooms and he cleaned our room. He is always great at getting the boys to do what they are supposed to do. He is so much better at that than i am. :) I am really glad i have him for that. Then on Sunday i came home from church after the first hour because i was starting to feel sick. He came home after church and helped take care of me. He cleaned the downstairs for me. Yes , partially because it was dirty and he couldn't take it anymore, but he DID IT with love. :) It was wonderful. It's nice knowing that i have a teammate to help me out when i need it. I promise my house isn't always dirty. haha! Some weeks i am so busy that i really don't have time to clean GREAT, other weeks i am not busy and can easily keep it clean. You know.

Shane has a deep desire to help others. And when he does i can see how it boosts his confidence just a bit with each time he does it. I love watching that. :) He is good at taking charge. I think he hesitates sometimes, for certain reasons, BUT he has a powerhouse inside him waiting to be released. He is already a great leader, but there is so much more in there,Like a volcano about to burst. He is one that many people look up to. Truly. He won't like me giving him so much attention on here or bragging about him like this, but i am going to....there is one person in particular that i know looks up to him. He looks to shane a lot before making decisions. This guy watches shane. He wants to know if Shane is doing it and if shane is then he will do it. He looks up to him and i know that WHO shane IS helps this guy to be a better person.

Shane's personality is one that helps push anyone to be a better person. He is very competitive. He is a leader. He is always reaching for 100%. He is always such a light to be around and people gravitate to him, naturally.

I am grateful for him. He loves me so much and i know this. He is always giving his best, even if sometimes i don't notice it in the moment, i always notice it later. He is my best friend. He is always trying to help me to be better, even when it's something i don't want to hear. :) He pushes me. Encourages me. When i feel sad or angry he is always there trying to cheer my mood up. I am so grateful he holds the priesthood and for what an example he is to our boys. I know i can count on him for anything. I love who he is. I think sometimes i hold back my feelings. I don't know why. Yes, i am admitting that. I need to do a lot better. He makes me want to do better at that. i know that if i am giving him what he needs, he will go two steps further to give me what i need. HE is such a strong masculine man, but such a sweetheart inside. He is a softy in many ways and i love that so much about him. He is exactly what i need. We have been through so much together and have learned so much together. I am so grateful that he is my eternal companion. I am so lucky to have him and i love him soooo much.

{I should be cleaning}

Yes, i really should. My house is a complete disaster. It looks like a tornado just whipped through. At the same time, it seems it's ALWAYS this way. Even if i clean. About 4 hours after i clean another tornado hits. It's the never ending story. I am a person who likes change, and with knowing that this is something that may never change.....well, it really puts me into panic mode.

Anyway, that was just me jabbering. Tanner and Gavin started basketball on Tuesday. They practice on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Tanner's practice is from 5-6 and Gavin's is from 6-7. Shane is coaching Gavin's team. I love it. I love watching him take charge out there. :) I think it's awesome and fun that he gets to be his coach. Gavin loves it. So, that leaves me with Jaydon sitting in a basketball court for two hours. All he wants to do is go out and play with the boys. He plays with his own basketball, asks me over and over to lift him up so he can shoot, passes the ball , and throws it in the middle of practice about every 5 minutes. I love that Jaydon already loves basketball and i am excited for him to start playing one day. I think he has to be 4 before he can start. I feel like he is READY now to start. He is ALL BOY man. I love it.

We have visitors coming in April and end of May. How exciting is it that we get THREE separate visits from family since we have been here in August?! I love it and am soooo excited!

I really need to post about shane. That will be my next post and then i have accomplished my posts about all my 4 boys. :)

{Oura Wan}

Oura Wan, our second favorite place on the island. :)

We went on a 2 night getaway together. We went up to Oura Wan and stayed in a nice cottage. It is located up on the EDGE of a hill. Our cottage was facing towards the ocean, so when you wake up and look out, the ocean is RIGHT THERE. It's gorgeous. You can hear the waves crashing all night long. It's so soothing. This picture below is our view from our cottage.

In this picture below we went to a beach that has TONS of sand dollars all over. I think we were able to collect about 10-15 sand dollars for our keeping. :) It's really cool. You can't find sand dollars on any other beach except for this one. It's also sea shell heaven. If you like sea shells, you will find thousands upon thousands. And they are all so pretty.

Having fun at the beach.

Beautiful sunrise view from our cottage on our first morning. The weather was gorgeous for us.

We roasted smores over our grill both nights. The boys loved it!

{Hiking and Rock Climbing Adventure}

We had such a fun day today. We were supposed to meet our friends by the expressway at 8:30 a.m. We were about 25 minutes late, partially due to the fact that we were SPEEDING; therefore, we got pulled over by the cops and were served a ticket. It was about a 45 minute drive to get to this mountainous area which is appropriately known as "Lost World" on the Motobu Peninsula. When we were close this is what it looked like...

It's very dense and thick forest. It's beautiful. This darn camera doesn't do it justice. In this picture below we started our hike. Our friends who invited us had enough rock climbing helmets for our boys too and they had to wear them not only when rock climbing, but also on our hike.

For most of the hike were were treking through rocky terrain. BIG boulders to little rocks. It had rained earlier so they rocks were VERY slippery. We were falling all over the place, especially on the way back. Luckily nobody was hurt in the process. :) It was about a 30 minute walk and Jaydon walked all on his own. He is such a big boy. He loved it. Here is Tanner below posing for a picture in the only flat part of our hike.

Here is the rocky wall we decided to climb. If you look you can see some rock climbers already on the wall. There is a HOLE that you can climb up into inside the mountain and it takes you to the top. We didn't try it, but our friend has done it before and i guess it was cool.

Here are the boys standing by there favorite spot. Right behind them is a cave. It travels downward a bit and then brings them out on the other side of the mountain. They played in this when they weren't rock climbing. It was a fun perfect cave for kids.

Here's Gavin rock climbing. He did AWESOME. He is a natural.

Here is Tanner posing for us. He enjoyed rock climbing. He was a bit cautious the first time, but the second time he was more confident and went up a bit higher than the first time.

Jaydon even did some rock climbing. He didn't get too far, but he did it! And he looked so cute in his rock climbing gear.

Shane rock climbing...

And me.....

Starting our hike back down to our car....

Jaydon had a great hiking stick. There were perfect THICK bamboo sticks, just the boys sizes. They grabbed them and used them as their hiking sticks on their way down our slippery, rocky mountain. I was holding one hand most of the time. He was slipping every 10 seconds. AND he nearly fell in a ditch. I thought we were safe, and we were at the end. He fell and i screamed b/c i thought he was falling into a rocky ditch about 6 feet down. Luckily, there was some kind of NET underneath some leaves he fell on. Lucky.

On our drive out....

And this is what happened on the way home....

We were there from about 9:45 to 3:45. It was so much fun. They have THREE boys as well. Gavin is just a little older than their first son, who is also names Gavin. Tanner is just a little older than their second son, Taylor. And Jaydon is a little bit older than their Third son, Owen. They all got DIRTY , head to toe. It was Taylor's birthday and his mom asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday. He wanted to rock climb to the top and watch the sunset and eat cupcakes. They told him he could invite TWO friends and he chose Tanner and is family as ONE of them. So sweet. So, she had lunch and snacks for us and they had tons of rock climbing equipment. Shane and I really want to do that more often. We also want to get scuba certified! So much fun! I realize we really are an outdoor family, but we need to get out a bit more to do those things.

We are going to make a trip with them to the Kerama Islands. It's about a 1 1/2 hour ferry ride to some of the most beautiful islands around, with some of the best snorkeling and scuba you will find. I seriously can't wait.

{Memories}

I will often smell something in the air, read someone's thoughts in a book, or see something out in nature that brings back childhood memories. Sometimes it reminds me of a forgotten memory, and the only thing i recall is that it was good. The other morning, as i was walking to my friends house to meet for our morning run, the wind was blowing, but not so much that it was obnoxious. It was a gentle breeze against my face. I closed my eyes and took in the delicate brush of wind and slowly took deep breaths in trying to take in the smell of the air. It was in that moment when the combination of the breeze and smell in the air reminded me of something, although i couldn't put my finger on it. What i do know is that it was a comforting and happy memory. I know that because that's the feeling that swept over and rushed through me. I stopped walking, trying to take in as much of that feeling/memory as i could, because i knew that as soon as i turned the corner the wind wouldn't blow the same gentle way against my face. As soon as i turned the corner that memory and feeling i was experiencing at that moment would go away. But i knew i needed to keep walking in order to meet my friends in time for our run. I started walking again, turned the corner, and that feeling quickly made it's exit.

I had another moment like that not too long ago. I was in the car with my boys and husband. Shane was driving, like usual, and we were driving through Okinawa streets passing by a bunch of homes. The weather outside was perfect. You know that feeling where if the air were 3 degrees cooler you would need a sweater? It was like that. Not chilly enough for a sweater, but perfect. Looking at the homes, feeling the breeze in my face and smelling the aroma outside and hearing the sounds sent a rush of calming feelings through my body. I love those moments. It's a moment of perfect inner peace and contentment. It was almost like it was a memory, a good memory, but again i couldn't point it to any particular time in my life.

As i was sitting on the couch reading a book, there were a few lines that started making me think about my childhood. It was bringing up in me those peaceful and content feelings that i felt that morning on my walk to meet my friends. And it was the same feelings i felt as we were driving around in the car with the breeze gently blowing in our face. I love Oklahoma. Tulsa, Oklahoma. The weather is awesome, nearly perfect. The evenings were the best time. We would sleep with our windows open at night. And if it was really hot we used those big box fans to keep us cool. Most nights i didn't need a box fan. I am so glad because otherwise i would miss out on the sounds that nature provided for us. It was the sounds of crickets chirping and locusts singing. There was a constant humming noise at night time. That was basically my lullaby. Sounds silly, but it was. It was what put me to sleep. It relaxed me, comforted me, and made me feel at peace. And when the breeze would blow in through the windows i would be able to smell the freshness of the newly cut grass. And sometimes i could hear laughter coming from outside and that made my memory even better. Or the smell of bbq coming in through the windows. I would wonder who cooks late at night, but i didn't mind because that smell was heavenly. Comforting. That's a wonderful memory. And maybe it's because of those childhood memories that made those comforting feelings arise in me during my walk to my friends house, and during our drive on the streets of Okinawa. I am grateful for those memories. I am grateful for all my memories. One other memory that came to my mind is when my dad would do his gardening.

My dad loved having a garden. It was his hobby. He never asked for help, he just went out and cherished his moments of gardening. I know how gardening made him feel. I could see it in his face. I could also hear it in his voice when he would tell me about his fruits and veggies as he was showing them all to me. I remember his blackberries. He always grew blackberries. They were always so plump and big, bursting with juice. He can make a killer blackberry cobbler. My favorite blackberry cobbler that i still think of to this day is when he cooked it in the dutch oven over the fire at our campground. I can taste it right now. Yum. Anyway, i am getting side tracked. I loved picking some of his berries and trying to pound as many as i could without anyone noticing that i was eating too many. I didn't like the taste of tomatoes at the time. BUT i did LOVE the smell of freshly picked garden tomatoes. Oh that smell is a smell to remember. He gardened many other things, but those are the TWO i remember because they were my favorite. When he and my mom come in April to visit us he is going to help me plant a few veggies and herbs. I can't wait. I can already see his face as he is helping me put the soil in the pots, and making sure the seeds and plants get planted in just right. He makes certain facial movements involving his mouth. He does it anytime he is in a zone, busy doing something with his hands. I always noticed it most when he was mixing something. It makes me laugh just thinking about it right now. :)

I feel like i forget a lot of memories, yet i remember certain one's in detail. Like the smell of my dad coming home from work. He smelled like scrubs, like a hospital. To some that might seem weird, but that's the way i remember the smell of my dad. I love the smell of a hospital to this day because that's what my dad smells like. I like being in a hospital. It comforts me. I feel safe. It makes me happy. If only all doctors could bring that same feeling of comfort and safety. :) haha!

In a world where there are so many bad memories that can be created, i sure am thankful for the good memories. I rely on those in times of sadness, loneliness or need. Because of the bad we can truly learn to love and appreciate the good. So, in a way, i am grateful for the bad because then i can understand and know when i have good. And i have lots of good around me. My husband, my kids, my friends, my mom, my dad, my siblings, my family in Idaho and Utah, the gospel, my Savior, my life, a home, food to eat, people who love and care about me, my health, opportunities to experience the world, to experience life. That's all i really need. Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.

{Jaydon, plus a couple updates}

First, Tanner got pneumonia. He started wheezing monday. I waited it out to see if it would slow down. It pretty much stayed the same up until this morning. He came and laid down next to me in bed this morning. He was wheezing in my EAR, but i also heard crackling noises with the wheezing. I knew that wasn't normal. I remember the last time he got pneumonia and the doctor was listening for crackling sounds. So, i took him into the ER where he and I and Jaydon spent the next 6 hours together. FUN, let me tell you. I didn't realize it would take so darn long. We probably saw the doctor a total of ten minutes. X-ray took a total of ten minutes. ANYWAY, i mustn't dwell on that. Turns out he has pneumonia, but he will be fine.

Now onto Jaydon.

Sorry , all his pictures are at the bottom because the DUMB blog is being difficult. Ughhhhh, my kids are driving me crazy right now! Let's see if i can explain this nicely right now. :)

Jaydon is very different from his brothers in ways. When Gavin and Tanner were small like Jaydon is now... Not small as in his size, but as in his age ... They didn't do lots of talking. Jaydon won't stop talking. Why this? Why that? What's this? What's that? It's pretty constant. The other boys asked questions, but not like Jaydon is doing now. No no no.

Jaydon refused to say his name for quite awhile. I just thought he was being stubborn, but turns out he just didn't know how to SAY his name. We (shane) finally got it out of him last night. He just kept calling himself "ME". We would point to him and say "who is this?" He would say "ME". He always says ME instead of I. It's cute. "Me hurt my knee." "ME have to poop." I like his "ME" phase.

Jaydon loves to play, loves to be tickled, LOVES to wrestle endlessly with Shane, LOVES to tease Tanner. Boy does he love to tease tanner. It's his favorite thing, i think. Tanner doesn't like it. AND he likes to tease everyone else in the family. EVEN me. He thinks teasing is so fun and he really enjoys it.

Jaydon is a thrill seeker. He does things all the time that scare me. The other boys never really took big chances. Tanner is our MOST careful boy. He is cautious. Jaydon is our crazy one. He likes jumping off of everything, among other things.

He is soooooo loveable, just like the other boys. He loves to take care of mommy and anyone else who needs it. My favorite time with him is when i tuck him into bed. He just wants to hold onto me and not let go. And he plays with my hair and tells me he loves me. It's the BEST.

He loves to have friends. He sticks up for himself, but he doesn't like to be mean to his friends. So, usually when he sticks up for himself one of the little nursery kids will hit him or bite him. He told me after church the other day, "my feelings hurt." I said, "what happened"? He said, "Me friend hit my face." It was so sad. Gavin did something mean to him the other day and Jaydon said to me so sweetly, "Galin(he says gavin with the L instead of a V) hurt my feelings." It's so sweet.

He likes to try and take charge of his brothers. He thinks he is the boss. He has a strong personality. He is a thick boy! BIG. One day he will be playing some football. I can see him getting into rough and tough sports like football or rugby.

On the other hand he can sure throw a fit. AND of course he does it IN public where he knows i can't put him in timeout. He often hits his brothers. Gavin and Tanner never were big into hitting each other. Then Jaydon comes along and he just swings that arm left and right at those boys. It bugs me. He is soooooooo stubborn too. SOOOO stubborn. Much more than his other brothers. He has a strong personality.

He loves to be cuddled and loved. He can never get enough of it. He is aware of people's feelings. He really is such a sweetheart. He melts hearts everywhere, especially the Japanese. He sure puts on his big cheesy charming smile for them. He is so funny. He sure is mischevious too.

Jaydon brings lots of excitement and laughs into our home. I love that he is always making us laugh or smile, especially when we need it. He lights up a room. He reminds me a lot of his daddy. He is so full of LIFE and energy, and i felt that from the time he was in my belly. When he was in my belly i got the sense that he was READY to get out and start LIFE and get the party started. I had this sense he would come EARLY because he was too antsy to WAIT until full -term and he came 3 weeks early! And he has always been that way.

{Tanner}

Tanner's turn. I meant to post about each of my boys in a week , BUT of course that didn't happen.

Tanner is our rational boy. You can reason with him, you can calm him down, he doesn't let his emotions control him. He is more laid back and calm about things. Starting something new isn't usually a problem as long as i prepare him for it about a week before.
He has a very level head about him. When his other brothers are whining and complaining about having to clean or do something we asked them to do, he is the one who just goes and does it. When i feel like i DO NOT want to hear anymore complaining from Gavin or Jaydon that's when i look over and notice TANNER doing what was asked of him without complaining. AND THAT helps me to not completely turn into a crazy lady on the other two boys. :) It warms my heart.

I am so grateful for Tanner's sweet and calm presence. It is refreshing. He definitely has his moments though. For example, he has a very specific way of needing his shoes tied. He will almost panic if the loops(bunny ears) aren't the same exact size. If one loops is bigger than the other then be prepared for him to start all over. He doesn't like the strings that are left hanging after he has finished tying his shoes. So he makes sure to stuff those underneath the laces. And often times his socks will bug him. He ends up taking his shoes off to adjust his sock. To me it doesn't look like he adjusted anything, but to him it makes all the difference. He will have a melt down if he can't dress himself or pick out what shoes or flip flops he wants to wear. He DOES NOT like wearing pants and refuses to wear pants even when it's in the 50's. He is very picky with his clothes. I admire that in a way. I feel like the way you dress says a lot about you. Trying to have someone else pick your clothes and dress you is like asking someone else to tell you who you are. If you have ever seen JOE VS. THE VOLCANO you know what i am talking about. I love that movie! And that scene has stuck with me ever since because it is so true.

He loves quoting movies. And he is very fickle. Here is what i mean by that...1. He was the first to jump on board the raw fish train. He was willing to try a whole sardine(dried up) and liked it. He likes sushi and seaweed(i don't like seaweed). He likes this whole Japan cuisine. 2. He caught on very quickly to swimming. The teacher was really impressed that he was able to catch on and do everything she asked of him. He was learning swim moves at age 4 that kids don't usually learn until they are about 8. Now, here is the fickle part. Maybe fickle isn't the right word, BUT he was always so nervous and hesitant to try new things. He didn't believe . He either didn't believe in himself OR he didn't believe the teacher would be there to catch him. I think it was both. I just wanted to grab him and say "just trust her! She won't let you drown. Believe in yourself and believe she will be there." He really struggled with it. Not only that, but when he was learning to ride his bike it was very very scary for him. He kind of got it down when we were in texas. He would ride his bike down our driveway and then turn around and ride back, but he was too scared to ride on a straight level rode. When we got to Okinawa he didn't want to get back on his back. He acted so scared of it. I am not sure what it was. Shane MADE him go out to try to help him learn to ride. I left temporarily b/c i couldn't handle having him MAKE Tanner do something he didn't want to do, more specifically that he was making him ride a bike. To me it seemed so unimportant and he would eventually get it. I left, BUT when i came back Tanner was riding his bike up and down the street with a big smile on his face. He was so proud of himself. At that moment i realized that we need to do that with him, in SOME cases. He needs lots of encouraging and he needs to know we KNOW he can do it and we need to help him see that in himself. And he did that day. It was awesome.

He is smarter than he lets on. He knows a lot, but really struggles with answering a question when you put him on the spot. I am the SAME way. I would know lots of answers in my classes, but i never raised my hand to answer b/c i was afraid of it being wrong or stupid. BUT also there were times where i knew an answer and my teacher would RANDOMLY ask me a question. ANd i would freeze up and not be able to answer it. And a couple minutes later i felt so dumb b/c i did know the answer, but just can't seem to do it on the spot. He is like that. I just have to help him be more confident in himself.

He has been such a good brother to both his brothers. He loves to play and have a good time. He doesn't like to be teased a lot. He tries to make sure that the boys are doing what they SHOULD be doing(most of the time)....he still gets mischevious. He is honest. He doesn't usually show AS MUCH interest in gospel topics when we talk about them, BUT i know he is listening b/c there are many moments where he answers many gospel topic questions, and surprises me with his answers. And i think "i knew you were listening!"

He is such a good boy. We love him and are so thankful for his sweet and calm presence in our home. :)

{blah}

Today is one of those days.

Jaydon got sick yesterday. I think it's strep because of all the symptoms. Funny how as soon as we

take Tanner's tonsils out that Jaydon gets strep for the first time. bahaha! It's really

NOT funny. Tanner has been complaining of his throat hurting. I think

he is at that point where it will be scabbing over and so i know it can be sore when that

happens. Tomorrow is ONE week since his surgery. ONE more week

and he can start eating NORMAL again. thank goodness. I woke up feeling pretty

light headed and have a slight headache. I have been getting headaches

lately. I don't get headaches so it's kind of weird.

SHANE took his PT test on Monday and received a 97%!!! If these guys score a 95 or higher

they will receive a day off of work. SO, he is taking off next Monday! whoop whoop!

I really enjoy cooking. It's my new passion and hobby. Well, not really NEW.

Probably for the past 1 1/2 to 2 years it has been. AND lucky for me

i have some AWESOME friends here with tons of AWESOME recipes that i can't wait

to try! SOOOO good. :) I would love to eventually make my own tortillas and

peanut butter...i already make our breads, pancake mixes, etc. When my parents come in April my dad

is going to help me start my own veggie garden. Of course, i can't build

it in the ground. I have to buy big vases and pots and tubs, but i will make it happen!! :)

I am going to grow grape tomatoes, cilantro, basil, and a couple more things. I am

sooooo excited! :)

Gavin is still working hard at reading 100 books. So far he has read 30 books. He is a lucky boy because he rarely gets sick. He has only missed ONE day of school since 1st grade

started. And it wasn't because he was sick. He does gets tons of

homework, BUT i think it's good because he is learning a lot.

It's getting warm around here. The sun is shining and it's in the 70's, although the

sun does feel a lot hotter than that. It feels AWESOME.

Last night i was talking to the boys in their room as i was putting them to bed. Shane was gone home teaching. I enjoy having evening conversations with the boys

because they really open up to me about lots of stuff, usually spirtual things. The conversations

are always really good.

{Whale Watching}

Shane and Gavin went whale watching today. I was supposed to go with them, but i decided it's best that i stay with Tanner and not leave him with our friends since he just had his tonsils out. BUT it sounds like i REALLY missed out because they HIT IT good today! The whales were everywhere. There were even groups of dolphins swimming with the whales, which i guess has been a rare thing to see.
Gavin even spotted flying fish! He never would have known it was flying fish if we didn't have the LIFE and ANIMAL PLANET videos that show us all of that cool stuff! These next 2 photos are hard to tell exactly what part of the whale you are looking at. He caught the pictures a little late, and they were really close to the boat. And shane said when they blew out of their blow hole it was so loud, especially right by the boat. I can only imagine HOW COOL that experience was for them. I am jealous. When they were telling me about it i felt like i was there. I want to swim with the dolphins and whales so bad. I love the ocean. I would live in it if i could. :)

There were FIVE other boats out there with them. AND it just happened to be a BEAUTIFUL day today! SUN was OUT, it was in the 70's! We have been getting a lot of rain here for the past couple of months! Driving me nuts!

Here are the dolphins!

Two of my favorite boys getting ready to head out to sea!!! They had to arrive to Kadena Marina at 7:30 a.m. They got back around 12:15. It took about an hour and a half boat ride to get out to where the Whales and dolphins were.

SOOOOO cute!!!

Poor shane got a little sea sick on the ride OUT and the RIDE BACK. When they got out there to watch the whales he said it was pretty smooth, BUT apparently the ride to and from was pretty rough. There was another woman on the boat ride that was puking the whole time. Poor lady.